Joining Collegedale Academy Highschool’s staff this year is Southern Adventist University  student and new Acroforce coach, Cameron Hodges. Cameron is the brother of CA’s religion teacher, Tyler “Sweet Tea” Hodges, and he is bringing a positive change to the CA gymnastics team. 

Like his older brother, Coach Hodges is from North Carolina and loves Chick-fil-A. When asked what his favorite part of working with his brother was, Mr. [Tyler] Hodges said, “It’s really cool, because I’ve noticed I can talk about a teacher or student and he says, ‘Oh yeah, I know them,’ so we can have conversations.” 

Coach Hodges discovered his love for gymnastics in 3rd or 4th grade while watching the Fletcher AcroKnights perform. He joined the Junior AcroKnights in 6th grade, and has been involved in acrobatic sports ever since. Coach Hodges is currently on Southern Adventist University’s Gym-Masters, and helps out with their additional programs such as Mini-Masters, Gym-Kids, and private lessons. 

Now, he’s at CA and things are shifting already. Tryouts for the acro team this year had higher requirements than previous ones. They took a more difficult approach, with a focus on strength drills and perfecting basics. “I would like to build back up to what it was about 10 years ago…I want it to be the best that it can be,” said Coach Hodges. 

One Acroforce member, junior Betsy Guerra, said, “He’s different from the coach we had before, I could tell from the beginning that he would definitely push us to our limits…and I’m excited to personally grow in my skills.” 

The team was anticipating Acrofest, an annual event where high school and college acrobatic teams from around the world meet at an Adventist University to learn skills from world renowned clinicians and perform a routine. Unfortunately, this has been cancelled due to Covid, and is planned to take place November 2022. Coach Hodges is working on alternatives to Acroforce, such as local clinics and possibly touring high schools next semester.

Regardless, Acroforce is preparing for the year by building on the basics and setting the bar high. The team is working hard under Coach Hodges’ guidance. “In order to be successful and see results, you have to put in the work to reach that level,” he commented.